The Aug. 9 commissioning will be a big day for the crew and its host, the port of Baltimore. The Sterett will berth at the port's cruise ship terminal next to the historic backdrop of the USS Constellation, which will be transported from its usual Inner Harbor mooring for the ceremony.
"Captain, bring your ship alive!" the secretary of the Navy will order Eckerle to complete the official commissioning. The crew members, in their dress whites, will suddenly appear and stream on board. They will raise the ensign on the stern and the "Don't Tread on Me" U.S. Navy Jack on the bow. The gun barrels will cycle up and down and the ship's horn will sound.
"The commissioning of any Navy ship is a thrilling event," said Helen Delich Bentley, a former congresswoman and now a consultant to the Maryland Port Administration. "It will focus attention once more on the port of Baltimore." The day of the ceremony, the Coast Guard will establish a security zone to restrict activity on the surrounding Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. The Navy Leagues from Baltimore and Annapolis will help control attendance at the week's events to comply with homeland security restrictions at the marine terminals.
Organizers expect as many as 5,000 will attend the commissioning. It is a boost to the local tourism industry, but nothing compared to the Otakon 2008 anime convention expected to bring 20,000 fans of Japanese animation to the Baltimore Convention Center that same weekend, Malley said.
"It will definitely be a busy weekend in Baltimore," said Nancy Hinds, spokeswoman for the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association. "It's a great way to showcase the city."
To drum up business from meeting planners and attract travel media, BACVA will be the host for a reception on the Constellation the same day as the Sterett commissioning, Hinds said.
To attend the commissioning or tour the vessel, guests must sign up for security clearance close to two weeks in advance. They will park at the Northrop Grumman lot near Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport that day for security screening and will be shuttled by rented buses to and from the Locust Point terminal. Parking is unavailable at South Locust Point, because a cruise trip also departs from there Aug. 9.
A reception at Fort McHenry, a flag football game for the crew at the Ravens' stadium and tours of the Sterett for the public are among the activities planned for the week.
And then the crew is off. The ship will sail through the Panama Canal to the Sterett's home port of San Diego.
"It's all part of the Navy adventure of getting a new ship under way," Eckerle said.
laura.mccandlish@baltsun.com
To attend the Sterett commissioning, e-mail retired Vice Adm. Kenneth Malley at kcmddg104@comcast.net
